Written by Adrian K. Wood and Illustrated by Giuseppe Rava. Osprey Publishing, Ltd., Long Island City, NY. (2012) Reviewed by John R. Satterfield, DBA. Writing about human activities in the Bronze and early Iron Ages is a daunting task. Evidence from these eras is fragmentary at best, like a jigsaw puzzle with far more pieces
By Thomas Boghardt, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2012) Reviewed by Capt. Winn Price USNR (Ret.) I thoroughly enjoyed this tale from the black world of cryptology. Espionage novels replete with the ‘shaken-not-stirred’ womanizers and drivers of fast cars, abound in fiction and non-fiction. Codebreakers have not received glorification in a similar genre of novels.
Edited by Kenneth E. Bingham. NMCB-8 Association, Ventura, CA (2013). Reviewed by Charles Bogart The subtitle of this book is “The 13-Man Teams That Helped Rural Vietnamese and who Fought Alongside the Special Forces.” The introduction of the book under review proclaims that it consists of excerpts taken from the book “COMCPAC REPORTS, Special Edition,
By Chuck Veit, Lulu.com, Raleigh, NC. (2012) Reviewed by David Kronenfeld Chuck Veit in Raising Missouri has put together a tidy little volume detailing a little known footnote of American naval history – the sinking and salvage of USS Missouri. This is Veit’s third book and continues in the vein of his focus on 19th
By Joseph Gibbs, Sussex Academic Press Portland, OR (2012). Reviewed by J.J. Ahern As Joseph Gibbs notes in his introduction to On the Account: Piracy and the Americas, 1766 – 1835, “Piracy in the Age of Sail continues to fascinate modern audiences (ix).” The image of swashbuckling buccaneers readily captivates the imagination of all ages;
By Veronica Cherry, Gallant Books, (2012) Reviewed by Nathan Albright In reading this dramatic and action-packed novel about piracy and children in extreme peril, it is difficult not to suspect that the author has a variety of personal and professional motives in framing the story as she does. The novel begins and ends with a
By Ronald D. Utt, Regnery Publishing, Washington, DC, (2012). Reviewed by David Curtis Skaggs, Ph.D. Entering the lists of War of 1812 naval history contenders is Ronald Utt’s Ships of Oak, Guns of Iron that seeks to demonstrate that this conflict forged the respected United States Navy that emerged in the nineteenth century. Or at
By Michael Rutstein, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, Salem, MA (2012). Reviewed by James C. Bradford, Ph.D. Despite its important role in American defense policy from the Revolution through the War of 1812, privateering has never been the subject of a comprehensive study. This accounts, in part, for the fact that privateering, i.e., the system of
Reviewed by Charles Bogart I Remember the Yorktown (2006) is the first of three self-published books that Gene Domienik has written concerning his service in the U. S. Navy during World War II. The book focuses on his tour of duty onboard Yorktown (CV 5) from October 1941 to its loss at the Battle of
By John Gordon, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, (2011). Reviewed by Captain Roger F. Jones, U.S. Navy (Retired) This is a book well worth reading from several standpoints. First, the role of the Navy and Marine Corps in the defense of the Philippines in World War II, as compared to the Army, is not generally
By Edward J. Drea, Washington, D.C.:Historical Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense, (2011). Reviewed by Dr. Richard P. Hallion The historians within the Office of the Secretary of Defense have established an enviable reputation for meticulously researched and well-crafted books, particularly their series on the various Secretaries of Defense. Edward J. Drea’s impressive new
By Walter R. Borneman, Little, Brown and Company, New York, NY (2012). Reviewed by Captain Scott Mobley, U.S. Navy (Retired) Millions of men and women have served in the U.S. Navy since its founding more than two centuries ago, but only four attained five-star status. The circumstances of World War II propelled this quartet—William D.
By David Crist, Ph.D. Penquin Press, New York, NY (2012) Reviewed by Stephen Phillips The Cold War by definition gave birth to several proxy wars. Concern over the Soviet Union’s potential impact on the oil producing Middle East led the U.S. to support Shah of Iran. Though secular, the Shah became extremely oppressive and thus
By Chuck Veit, Self-Published, United States (2010) Reviewed by Nathan Albright Chuck Veit, the President of the Naval & Marine Living History Association and founder of the U.S. Naval Landing Party, has managed an impressive feat in A Dog Before A Soldier. In this self-published collection of essays, Veit has written something that will be
By Robert G. Kay, Author House, Bloomington, IN (2011). Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart In 1966, the author, as a Navy Lt. (JG) with his marriage collapsing in divorce, volunteered for duty as a Naval Advisor in Vietnam to allow him to refocus his life and to help his promotional opportunities. Robert Kay would complete
